The Change We All Want in the Game
by sansticonderoga
Summary: Brennan discloses to Booth the date she wrote and burned in the blizzard episode. It is the spark that ignites their relationship.


SCENE ONE:

Scene opens in a bowling alley. The team (Booth, Brennan, Hodgins, Angela, Cam, Paul, Sweets and a Squint) are all busy with bowling related activities. Hodgens is inputting names in the score board, Cam and Paul trying out different bowling balls. Sweets and a Squint are bowling practice shots. Sweets has a ball with his name engraved in it. Booth and Brennan are sitting together; Booth is beginning to change his shoes. Angela is next to Booth.

Brennan: "The game of bowling dates back thousands of years and was played in the Stone Age."

Angela: "Throwing something big to knock down a bunch of small things….it's definitely a primal thing. I can see why it has withstood the test of time."

Booth: "But the shoes, definitely not a good idea."

Hodgins: (affectionately) "Look Angela, you're shaped just like the bowling pins."

Brennan: "The first pins were made of stone or another crude material, but today the pins are precise creations typically made of fine maple wood. A standard bowling pin stands exactly 15 inches in height and cannot exceed 4.75 inches at its widest point. Each pin weighs less than four pounds."

Angela: " Only 4 pounds. Then I think it would be more effective to hit Hodgens with a bowling ball, not a pin."

It is Brennan's turn. She gets a strike.

Booth: "All right Bones! Beginners luck?"

Brennan: "I don't believe in luck. The ball I used weighs approximately 12 pounds and has a diameter of 9 inches. The lane is 18.29 meters long. If I release the ball with a certain force and retain a constant angle, then I can create a high probability to knock down every pin. It's easy math Booth."

Booth: (pulling out his wallet). "Easy math for me is buying a round. Come with me to carry the Perrier for Angela."

Angela smiles in appreciation to Booth and puts her feet up on Hodgen's lap.

Over in the food court area Booth places an order for two pitchers and a bottled water for Angela when he notices a series of coin machines. He takes a quarter out of his pocket, flips it high into the air and catches it. He begins to walk over to the machines, motioning with a wave of his hand for Brennan to come too.

Booth: "Oh man when I was a kid I LOVED these things Bones."

Brennen: (bending down and examining a machine and its contents) "A rudimentary contraption containing inexpensive, plastic, miniature items. I don't see the appeal."

Booth: "It is just fun Bones. You put in your quarter, turn the dial and with a clink and a clunk, out pops a surprise!"

Booth puts in his quarter, turns the dial and when the plastic container comes out he tosses it over to Brennan.

Booth: "Catch."

Brennan catches it, opens the lid and pulls out Smurfette.

Bones smile is huge. Her eyes are sparkling. She is happy. She tosses smurfette up in the air the same way Booth flipped the quarter. She catches the smurfette, puts it in her pocket and walks over to Booth to help with the drinks.

SCENE TWO

Booth and Brennan are in the car, Booth is driving. Bones takes the smurfette out of her pocket. She holds it in her hands, looks at it, looks at Booth and smiles.

Brennan: "It was a fun surprise Booth. Thanks."

Booth: " Boy, I am tired. All that Neanderthal throwing of stones at sticks wore me out." (looking at the car clock) "Whoa, it is almost midnight."

Brennen: (sounding a little anxious)" Midnight?" (She hesitates between each word) "So… it… is… almost …tomorrow?"

Booth: "Hello weekend. It's so nice to see you again."

Brennan: "Tomorrow denotes a significant date, for me. It is the birth date of one of my heroes, Mildred Trotter who is credited with creating the statistical regression formulae for the calculation of stature estimates from human long bones. These formulae are still widely applied in the field. I was the recipient of The Mildred Trotter Prize, for exceptional work in the field of physical anthropology."

Booth: "So it's an important date for you, huh, Bones. Then we should do something, celebrate."

Booth pauses, thinking.

Booth: "The shooting range?"

Brennan: "The Lincoln Memorial."

Booth: "We can run there together in the morning."

Brennan: "After 8 though. I'll need to prepare."

Brennan looks at her smurfett, smiles, puts it in her pocket and leans back in the car seat and closes her eyes. Booth looks forward and drives.

SCENE THREE

It is the next morning. Booth and Brennan are running up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. They get to the top and stop. There is another couple there, holding hands, laughing happily. The couple walks about the memorial looking and pointing. The couple kiss. The man is dressed in a suit; the woman is wearing a lab coat. Booth and Brennan sit down on the top step. Booth looks around. Brennan continues to look at the couple who are walking, laughing, kissing.

Brennan: I have only recently come to really appreciate this memorial.

Booth: Really? Why?

Brennan: It's the columns. Each of them is exactly …

Brennan stops speaking rather abruptly and takes a deep breath. Her eyes shift quickly to the kissing couple and then back to Booth. Booth looks back at her, smiling. But he is a little confused because Brennan seems anxious.

Brennan: "Booth, before I continue with my explanation I need to reveal a pertinent piece of information about this date."

She takes the smurfette out of her pocket and looks at it. She looks squarely at Booth.

Brennan: "Today is the date I wrote on the paper we burned in your apartment. "

Booth's eyes light up by what she has admitted. He is excited and very happy. Brennan is still consumed with her own unfinished explanation. Again her gaze momentarily shifts over to the couple who are pointing up. She looks back to Booth.

Brennan: "Since today represents the date I wrote and burned, I thought it would benefit our relationship to take you here to the Lincoln Memorial. This memorial has a total of 36 columns, each measuring 37 feet high. If you modify the scale to represent the inverse operation of pie (Brenan smiles) and multiply it by the cubed root function of x, than the distance equals the atomic weight of titanium. Alone, titanium is impervious; but it can be inherently modified to lose its imperviousness by applying copious amounts of heat, consistently, or over a long period of time. "

Brennan ends her explanation quite pleased with herself, as though she has disclosed something personal, and she is smiling. Booth looks nonplused, albeit, confused.

Booth: "Okay. Should we go get some pie,-for me-, because you don't like pie. Or do I need the periodic table of elements?"

Brennan realizes that she did not successfully get her point across to Booth.

Booth points down the steps to a coffee cart.

Booth: "How about a coffee?"

Brennan shakes her head no in response to the coffee offering, but stands and takes one step down toward the coffee cart. She notices the smurfette in her hand and the kissing couple. She stops, turns to Booth and touches his arm. He stops; they are facing each other, her hand remains on his arm. She looks him in the eyes and says:

Brennan: "Booth, what all of the science and the math is saying…What being here at the Lincoln Memorial is saying…what I am saying is…"

Brennan inhales deep, steps closer to Booth, puts her other hand on his other arm and again looks deep into his eyes.

Brennan: "…is that you are the person I love most in the world… and I do want what you are offering here …for the next 20, or, 50 years."

Booth exhales deeply, muttering 'wow' through his breath. He is pleased. He moves closer to Brennan, his arms begin to wrap around her.

Booth: "Can I kiss you Bones. I really want to kiss you."

Brennan: "Yes. Absolutely. Actually I am hoping that my revelation will yield significantly more physical contact between us. Remember that titaniumrequires copious amounts of heat in order modify its molecular"

Booth stops her from continuing to talk with a kiss. She kisses him back and stuffs smurfette into his back pants pocket.

Brennan: "You want to know another reason why I like the Lincoln Memorial?"

Booth: "Because it is now officially my favorite place on earth."

Booth smiles, kisses her again. She kisses him back.

Brennan: "Privacy."

Booth is playfully curious. Brennan takes Booth by the hand and they run back up the step to the Lincoln. When they get there Booth looks around, but Brennan points up. Booth looks up too and notices the ledge.

Booth: "Oh the perks of working out and cardiovascular exercise."

Booth pulls out his FBI badge.

Booth: "Always ready for official business. Just in case anyone asks."

They jump up onto the lap of Lincoln, climb behind him and pull themselves up to find a comfortable, private spot with pillows, a small carpet, candles and a cooler. Booth takes the smurfette out of his back pocket and puts it next to a candle. He looks in the cooler.

Booth: "Is this what you were preparing?"

Brennan: "For seven years, apparently. But yes, I brought this stuff up this morning. There was more food, but I gave some of it to the homeless."

Booth: "Have you ever been here with anyone before?"

Brennan: "Only you."

With an inquisitive look Booth asks:

Booth: "Then how did you know about (pointing around) this space?"

Brennan: (matte- of-factly) "By doing the math, of course."

She lights a candle and Booth drinks some water from the cooler. They sit down together in the comfort that she has prepared for them.

Brennan: "Booth, what date did you write on your paper?"

Booth: "I didn't exactly write a date."

Brennan looks a little miffed.

Brennan: "Continue. Clarify."

Booth: "I wrote a symbol."

Brennan: "What symbol?"

Booth takes her hand and draws the symbol for eternity over his heart. Brennan smiles.

Booth: "I've already told you Bones, I knew from the first. You are my fate."

They kiss, again and again and lay back on the rug and the pillows.

Booth: "You really love me?"

Brennan: "I love you Booth."

Booth: "Say it again."

Brennan: "I speak 7 different languages, I could tell you I love you in all 7…Ich liebe, te amo, ,,"

The couple from earlier pop their heads up. Booth looks surprised but Brennan knows.

Brennan: (speaking to Booth) "I knew she was measuring."

Brennan: (to the couple) "Sorry, but you'll have to wait."

Booth: "Maybe for 7 years."

Brennan: "Maybe for eternity." (she says using her hand to make the symbol over Booth's heart ).

The couple looks at each other completely confused and then jump down to leave.

Brennan and Booth kiss.

Booth: I love you too Bones.

Their love-making begins. Camera pans over to the amurfette next to a candle. The credits roll. Season 6 comes to an end.


End file.
